Mobile analytical screening, verification, and containment system
This mobile sample isolation and containment system is designed to provide a chemical and biological screening and verification capability within an environmentally-controlled area while minimizing exposure of analytical instruments to contamination. Only those parts of the analytical instrument absolutely necessary for retrieving sample information are disposed within the potentially contaminated enclosure, while other electrical or optical components remain outside said enclosure. The system uses multiple technologies that target, interrogate, and describe the same sample. Therefore, an analyst will not need to remove a hazardous sample from containment before it is identified.
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The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the U.S. Government.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of chemical analysis. More specifically, the invention is in the field of mobile chemical analysis containment equipment which can be used for analysis of hazardous and/or toxic chemicals with minimal exposure to analytical instruments.
2. Background of the Invention
Fume hoods and glove boxes are typical laboratory equipment. For safety reasons, many scientists are bringing analytical instrumentation for chemical and biological analysis into their fume hoods and glove boxes at the expense of contaminating the instruments. Having the instrumentation inside the glove boxes creates problems with space, ergonomics, cross-contamination, maintenance, and decontamination (if decontamination is even possible). With mobile laboratories becoming more prominent, this approach will pose safety issues and the movement of contaminated instruments on public roads may possibly even be illegal in certain circumstances.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,765, herein incorporated in its entirety by reference, is directed toward a super toxic analytical glove box system. This system is also designed to keep analysis instrumentation off the work surface of the glove box; however, the system only allows for gaseous analysis and is extremely cumbersome.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an analysis and containment system that allows for an open work surface, has instruments that are accessible through the walls of the system, and is easily portable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe system of the present invention leaves the already limited area of a glove box or fume hood working surface free for the items that are absolutely necessary and, thus, are more easily maintained. Only those parts of the analytical instruments necessary to retrieve the sample information are disposed within the containment area of the system. Decontamination between samples is rapid. Once unpackaged, the operator can analyze, dilute, aliquot, dispose of, or repackage the sample in the safety of a controlled environment.
Sealed enclosure 105 may have at least one transparent face 110. While transparent face 110 is shown as the front face of sealed enclosure 105 in
Sealed enclosure 105 may additionally have holes 115 through which gloves 201 (shown in
System 100 may further include a control system 120 for the sealed enclosure 105. Control system 120 may allow a user to control the conditions inside sealed enclosure 105, including but not limited to the power, temperature, air flow, light conditions, etc. Control system 120 may also be able to visually and/or audibly alert a user to any problems within sealed enclosure 105.
Sealed enclosure 105 may be coupled to a filtration system 132. Filtration system 132 may draw ambient air into sealed enclosure 105 through inlet 125. Filtration system 132 may draw internal, possibly contaminated, air out of sealed enclosure 105 through outlet 130. Filtration system 132 maybe any type of filtration system known, but preferably, filtration system 132 may include one of a carbon gas filter and a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. In certain embodiments a gas waste stream can be vented directly back into the system.
System 100 is configured so that the majority of the analytical instruments can be placed outside sealed enclosure 105 with only the portion of each analytical instrument necessary to retrieve sample information being disposed within enclosure 105 and thereby exposed to the sample. Such instruments may include, but are not limited to, optical spectroscopic instrumentation for methods such as absorption, fluorescence, phosphorescence, scattering, emission, and chemiluminescence testing of the sample. In the embodiment shown in
System 100 may further include a processor 180. The processor may control the instruments, process the analysis, and export the results. The processor may be controlled by a hands-free input device 145. Hands-free input device 145 may be a foot-operated mouse that allows the user to manipulate the sample while controlling the processor. The processor may be in communication with a display device 150. Display device 150 may be a flat screen monitor coupled to sealed enclosure 105. In certain embodiments, the rear face of sealed enclosure may be a second transparent face and display device 150 may be coupled to the outer surface of the second transparent face.
System 100 may also include an airlock 155. Airlock 155 may be coupled to any face of sealed enclosure 105. Airlock 155 may have an outer door 160 and an inner door 262 as shown in
A closed circuit video camera 192 may be mounted on a transparent face outside sealed enclosure 105. The closed circuit video camera 192 may also be mounted to an inner surface of sealed enclosure 105 so that the camera's field of view encompasses the work area of sealed enclosure 105. A microphone 195 may also be coupled to the sealed enclosure 105. The microphone 195 may be able to receive sounds from both within sealed enclosure 105 and from outside sealed enclosure 105. The camera 192 and microphone 195 may be in communication with the processor 180. The processor 180 may record data from the camera 192 and microphone 195 and may be able to relay the data to remote viewers, thereby allowing an analyst to direct remote viewers to aspects of the sample that may be deemed important.
Sealed enclosure 105 may have one or more removable panels. A removable panel may be replaced by an instrument mount 165. Instrument mount 165 may be able to house and contain additional analysis instruments, for example, including but not limited to gas analyzers. As in the embodiment of
Sealed enclosure 105 may further include a bar code reader 199 surface mounted in one face of sealed enclosure 105. The bar code reader 199 may be coupled to a sample management system. Furthermore system 100 may have a voice recognition system for describing observation and producing field notes in a rapid manner. In certain embodiments, biological robot devices can manipulate well plates and deliver them to the airlock 155 for sample inoculation and sealing.
Other embodiments and uses of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. All references cited herein, including all publications, U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications, are specifically and entirely incorporated by reference. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered exemplary only with the true scope and spirit of the invention indicated by the following claims. As used in the specification, the term “comprising” includes the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”
Claims
1. A mobile analytical sample containment system, comprising:
- a sealed enclosure having at least one transparent face;
- a plurality of analytical instruments, each coupled to an outer surface of at least one face of the sealed enclosure, wherein only a sampling portion of each analytical instrument necessary to retrieve sample information is positioned inside and accessible from inside the sealed enclosure;
- at least one manipulation means for manipulating a sample contained within the sealed enclosure; and
- means for controlling the conditions within the sealed enclosure.
2. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, further comprising an air filtration system coupled to the sealed enclosure.
3. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 2, wherein the air filtration system contains at least one of a carbon gas filter and a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, and wherein said enclosure is maintained at a negative pressure relative to ambient pressure.
4. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, wherein the manipulation means is a manual manipulation means.
5. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 4, wherein the manual manipulation means comprises at least one glove coupled to a face of the sealed enclosure, wherein the glove passes through a hole in the face of the sealed enclosure and is sealed over the hole.
6. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, wherein the manipulation means is a robotic arm.
7. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a processing unit in communication with the plurality of analytical instruments; and
- a display unit for displaying data from the processing unit.
8. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 7, wherein the processing unit is controlled by a hands-free data entry unit.
9. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 8, wherein the hands-free data entry unit is a foot controlled mouse.
10. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 7, wherein the display unit is a monitor coupled to the sealed enclosure.
11. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a close circuit video camera positioned so that a work surface of the sealed enclosure is within the field of view of the video camera; and
- a microphone.
12. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, further comprising a removable air-lock for transferring items into and out of said enclosure.
13. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of analytical instruments is chosen from the group consisting of a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) detector and a Raman spectroscopy detector.
14. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 13, wherein the FTIR detector includes a surface window which forms a part of and is level with a surface of the sealed enclosure and wherein optical and electrical components of the FTIR are positioned outside of the sealed enclosure.
15. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 14, wherein the surface window comprises diamond attenuated total reflectance (ATR) material.
16. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 13, wherein the Raman detector has a sampling component within the sealed enclosure.
17. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 16, wherein the sampling component comprises a light sealed enclosure surrounding a sample vial which is bathed in carbon and HEPA filtered air.
18. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 17, wherein the Raman detector includes a laser window which forms a part of a surface of the sealed enclosure so that a laser can interrogate the sample vial while positioned outside the enclosure.
19. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 18, wherein said window is comprised of glass.
20. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, further comprising a barcode scanner embedded in a face of the sealed enclosure.
21. The mobile analytical sample containment system of claim 1, further comprising a removable instrument mount.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 17, 2008
Date of Patent: Nov 10, 2015
Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army (Washington, DC)
Inventors: Charles E. Henry (Joppa, MD), Monica J. Heyl (Joppa, MD), Lisa M. Gremminger (Edgewood, MD)
Primary Examiner: Lyle Alexander
Assistant Examiner: Jennifer Wecker
Application Number: 12/140,322
International Classification: B25J 21/00 (20060101); B25J 21/02 (20060101); B01L 1/00 (20060101); G01N 30/00 (20060101); G01N 30/88 (20060101); A61G 10/00 (20060101); C12M 1/12 (20060101);